Solutions
The Investment Management Due Diligence Association (IMDDA), an exclusive investor-based organisation dedicated to the professionals who investigate facts concerning investment programs, has opened applications for the first class of its new professional due diligence designation.
The IMDDA’s Chartered Due Diligence Analyst (CDDA) will be an internationally recognised designation developed to ISO 17024 and ANSI accreditation standards that rigorously tests for aptitude and expertise in due diligence. Each person who passes the exam becomes a Chartered Due Diligence Analyst (CDDA), a designation that denotes one as an authority in the due diligence field.
Registration for the first class of CDDA
Carey Olsen has worked with Clarity, the creator of a new blockchain platform for small businesses and investors, on the initial coin offering (ICO) of its Clarity Project utility token.
The Clarity platform is designed to be a one-stop shop for small business owners worldwide, giving them complete access to, and control over, their data. It will also provide analytics, benchmarking, file sharing, third-party verification and access to early-stage funding or investment that has previously only been available to larger businesses.
Clarity founder Luke Smith says: “The Crypto industry is growing up fast, becoming mainstream and Jersey is
Natural language processing (NLP) is changing the way humans interact with machines in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. Thanks to huge advances in machine learning, driven and supported by ever-faster computer processing, we are increasingly using NLP tools such as Amazon Alexa, Siri, Google assistant, Cortana, Bixby, and interacting with chatbots from our service providers.
Maitland has been appointed as the AIFM, Fund Administrator and Company Secretary for the new Merian Chrysalis Investment Company.
Maitland will provide AIFM, fund administration and company secretarial services for the new Guernsey-domiciled closed-ended investment company, which raised GBP100 million on its initial issue and has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange.
The company will invest in unlisted stocks and is co-managed by Richard Watts and Nick Williamson.
Nicola Stronach, Chief Operating Officer at Merian Global Investors, says: “The Merian Chrysalis Investment Company Limited is our first listed product and we’re pleased to be working with
Independent fund administrator Centaur Fund Services has joined the North American Fund Administration Association (NAFAA), an association that represents the alternative investment fund administration industry.
“We are thrilled to have Centaur join our association.” says NAFAA founding director, Chris Meader (pictured). “November will see the launch of the NAFAA working groups whose initial focus will be to discuss and define best practices and standards in the industry. We are pleased to have a global firm such as Centaur collaborating with our existing members in promoting the best interests of the alternative fund administration industry.”
Des Johnson CEO of Centaur Fund
On 23 August 2018, Luxembourg’s regulator, the CSSF, published a Circular 18/698 which set out to codify the organisation, substance and authorisation of Luxembourg investment fund managers. Amongst others the Circular replaces Circular 12/546, which detailed the CSSF’s expectations for UCITS managers and also served as the benchmark for AIFMs under the AIFM Directive.
This approach to further clarify and summarise what is expected of a Luxembourg management company is helpful according to Daniela Klasen-Martin (pictured), Managing Director and Country Head, Crestbridge Luxembourg, a leading independent administration, management and corporate governance solutions business.
“The Circular is a summary of practices
Private equity is sitting astride a mountain of dry powder, which currently stands at USD1.14 trillion according to Preqin*. Fund raising has never been easier but with so much money floating around, valuations are being driven upwards.
This is placing enormous importance on private equity managers planning for exits. How can they be sure that the target company will continue to grow and generate an attractive earnings multiple at exit when the valuation is already high at entry?
“The multiples being asked for right now are exorbitant; it used to be common to pay 10 or 11X EBITDA but in
Since Brexit has become a reality, UK managers have been putting in place contingency to protect their businesses, creating opportunities for other European financial centres including Luxembourg. Once the UK leaves the EU next year neither the UCITS or AIFMD regimes will apply and UK entities will no longer be able to manage and market their funds in the EU.
The risk to losing access to the single market is unacceptable to the UK fund manager community and in that regard Luxembourg is a really viable alternative, according to James Burke (pictured), Head of Apex Europe, Apex Fund Services (Ireland).
By Kavitha Ramachandran – Brexit is a major political disruptor and, despite the uncertainties, it brings tremendous opportunities. London is a key financial centre and it is no surprise that while we wait for the final negotiations to fall in place, financial industry players have started taking action to create a presence on the Continent to stay competitive and continue to attract capital. As a result, the asset management industry is seeing a shift from the UK to the Continent which is creating opportunities for countries in the EU27.
Simultaneously, digitalisation is gaining pace due to changing investor profiles and demands, cost
Luxembourg’s Reserved AIF (RAIF) has completely changed the Grand Duchy’s alternatives marketplace, from a fund structuring perspective. Over the last three decades it has become the de facto onshore jurisdiction for UCITS funds, but this has started to change in the last few years.
According to EFAMA, total AUM in AIFs grew by 15.1 per cent year-on-year to reach EUR673 billion at the end of 2017, while UCITS’ assets increased by 11.9 per cent over the same period.
As PwC points out in its 2018 Barometer Report, assets held by both AIF and UCITS funds in Luxembourg reached EUR4.1 trillion
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
